PERTH ROAD – PLACES FOR EVERYONE
West End Community Council have received funding through the Places for Everyone fund which is administered by Sustrans Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland, to develop ideas to enhance a section of Perth Road, Dundee to create an accessible, quality ‘high street’ for everyone. The project focuses on Perth Road from Miller’s Wynd to Blackness Library, but considers this key route within the wider context of Dundee.
The project will encourage active travel by seeking to identify ways to improve access for all, particularly people who walk, cycle or wheel. The project will promote positive behavioural change whilst applying the town centre first principle to encourage social, economic and physical regeneration of the Perth Road area as a whole. Given Perth Road’s proximity to the city centre, the project will seek to strengthen connections to key destinations and routes in the centre of Dundee.
SHAPING FUTURE PLANS
Perth Road – Places for Everyone is the first phase of an ambitious three phase project to transform Perth Road into an area which is safe, accessible and attractive, creating a desirable destination that people will want to visit shop and spend time in. This first phase seeks to gather survey evidence, engage with both the community and stakeholders and formulate a placemaking plan which will subsequently feed into further funding applications to expand on design stages.
If successful the second phase would involve developing design ideas in collaboration with the local community, and the third phase would be the construction and implementation of these design ideas.
The West End Community Council have appointed a team comprising Austin-Smith:Lord (urban planning, landscape, architecture), WAVEparticle (community engagement, public arts), Transport Planning Ltd., and Neilson Partnership (cost consultants) to collaborate with the local community, businesses, Dundee City Council and local and national agencies to develop initial ideas for Perth Road.
SHARE YOUR IDEAS – EVENTS PROGRAMME
Throughout May and June 2019 there will be numerous events and opportunities for anyone with an interest and passion for this part of Dundee to get involved and share your ideas. If you live, have a business, work in or visit this part of Perth Road, the West End Community Council want you have your say on what works, what needs to be improved and what the priorities are.
All events are free and open to everyone.
There will be a programme of on-street, online and in-situ events to explore the priorities for action in the area.
From 29th April 2019 there will be a dedicated Commonplace website where you can post your comments on what works, needs to be enhanced and ideas to make positive changes to improve Perth Road. This can be accessed at https://perthroaddundeemap.commonplace.is/
A Places for Everyone Charrette on 22 – 25 May as part of Dundee Design Month 2019 will feature a series of participatory planning workshops and interactive activities at Gate Church International (158 Perth Road, Dundee). In advance of the Charrette local young people will participate in design workshops in the local schools.
The Charrette events will start with an evening Launch Event on Wednesday 22 May. An open door Co-Design Studio will run on 22 – 25 May, inviting participants to drop-in and get creative by sharing, sketching and testing ideas to improve pedestrian and cycle access and enhance the quality of the environment along Perth Road to support the local resident, business and civic community in the area.
A programme of events in the Co-Design Studio will include: Walk, Wheel and Talk tours of the area to problem solve on-site; Ideas Mapping giving folk a platform to share their work; Futurewalk taking a wander along Perth Road and exploring its past, present and possible future; and Postcards from the Future inviting participants to write to themselves from 2029 confirming the positive changes they hope to see. A full programme of events will be confirmed in May 2019. Project updates are also available at https://perthroaddundeemap.commonplace.is/news and via twitter @PerthRoadPlaces.
The Perth Road – Places for Everyone team will also have a stall at West Fest on Sunday 2 June 2019. All events are free – All Welcome!
West End Community Councillor and Project Sponsor, Russell Pepper said;
“Perth Road is a great part of Dundee, but it could be much better! It should be a place for everyone in the community to enjoy and take pride in, so we’re delighted to have secured funding from Sustrans to hold a series of events to gather opinion and priorities from the local community on how they would like to see the area improved. If we’re successful in securing funds for the second phase of the project, this information will have significant input, so it’s important that as many people take part as possible – please come along if you can!”
Graham Ross, Partner at Austin-Smith;Lord said;
“Perth Road is recognised in the Local Development Plan for Dundee as one of the city’s key ‘high streets’. To face up to the challenges facing ‘high streets’ it is important to ensure that they are places that people want to be in; places where everyone feels they are welcome, have reason to be there and wish to spend time there. It is great that the West End Community Council have secured the support of Sustrans Scotland to progress this canvassing of opinion and great ideas. We look forward to exploring the possibilities and creative solutions to meet these challenges in a way which ensures Perth Road is a thriving place for everyone in the future.”
Dave Keane, Infrastructure Manager for Sustrans Scotland said;
“We are pleased to be able to support the West End Community Council through Places for Everyone, to help make Perth Road a space where people can come to meet, spend time or access other parts of the city. We look forward to seeing the ideas that the local community come up with and the results of the charrette and working with the Community Council and the City Council to help take ideas forward.”
NOTE TO EDITORS
- West End Community Council represents the interests of Dundee’s west end. The group is a constituted organisation working to develop local resources for locals and visitors alike.
- Sustrans is the charity making it easier for people to walk and cycle. We connect people and places, create liveable neighbourhoods, transform the school run and deliver a happier, healthier commute. Join us on our journey. www.sustrans.org.uk
- Places for Everyone is funded by Scottish Government and delivered by Sustrans Scotland in partnership with local authorities, statutory bodies and educational institutions for the creation of walking and cycling infrastructure for everyday journeys.
SUMMARY PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
Commonplace Website Launch: 29th April 2019
Places for Everyone Charrette: Wednesday 22 May to Saturday 25 May 2019 @ Gate Church International
West Fest stall: Sunday 2 June 2019
The Great Pagoda, located at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, is the most important Chinoiserie-style building in Europe. It is a ten-storey brick tower with octagonal plan form and roofs and balconies rising in diminishing stages. After five years of research and investigation it has undergone a major restoration, led by Austin-Smith:Lord on behalf of Historic Royal Palaces, with the aim of returning it to the original vision. This includes the reintroduction of eighty dragon sculptures on the roofs. It has now re-opened to the public for the first time in thirty years.
You can find out more about the Kew Gardens Great Pagoda project at this link: https://www.austinsmithlord.com/projects/the-great-pagoda-kew-gardens/
The Welsh Procurement Alliance (WPA) is a new approach for procurement in Wales, and is backed by LHC, one of the leading and most respected not-for-profit, public sector procurement organisations in the UK. Whilst established some 50 years ago to foster greater efficiencies and higher quality within the housing sector, the WPA Framework is designed for use across all public sector work and already has the backing of around 30 Client Partners including Welsh Local Authorities, Universities and Housing Associations.
Our congratulations go to all the other shortlisted projects, and of course the category winner which was the Old Royal Naval College Painted Hall project.
